Because there are a lot of meaningless games this week, not to mention the fact that most fantasy leagues end on Week 16, THIMD did not bother with rankings this week. And in place of today's usual column (Start or Bench?), we decided to focus on the games where there is potential for normal starters to be iffy at best, as a lot of teams will be sitting players for parts (if not all) of each of these games. Our best is as good as yours as to how many snaps these players take, but we were willing to give it a shot...
New England at NY Giants
I’ll start with the G-Men first, as the amount of time NE’s starters play probably depend on what the Giants do. It’s just a hunch, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Coughlin leaves most of his starters in for the first half, just to see how well they do. If the game stays close, I could see Eli coming out in the 2nd half. The only guy that probably won’t see much action at all is Burress. Boss will likely get a lot of looks, as they’ll want to see how much he’ll be able to contribute in the playoffs. If the Giants go down big early, all fantasy relevant players (is Eli relevant?) will be sitting on the sidelines in the 2nd half at the latest…
Brady will get his 2 TD’s, Moss will get at least 1 TD, the Pats will win the game, et cetera, et cetera. But as I mentioned before, if the game gets out of hand before half time, and Brady/Moss have the records already, look for a healthy dose of Heath Evans, the Matt’s at QB, and so on. I just can’t see Belichick taking any chances if a victory has already been sealed. I’d still start Brady, Moss, Maroney, and even Welker, but don’t expect any of them to play the entire game...
Carolina at Tampa Bay
The Panthers are playing for pride at this point, but also taking a look at their roster for next year. This means that Matt Moore will get all of the snaps at QB, and DeAngelo Williams is worth a start, as the Bucs have nothing to play for, and will likely rest a lot of their key defensive players. Steve Smith will have a good chance to have his 2nd straight 100+ yard game, and would be in my top 12 if we had done rankings this week…
As for the Bucs, I wouldn’t bother with any of the “3 G’s” this week (Garcia, Graham, Galloway). Instead, guys like Pittman, Bennett, and McCown will be shouldering the load. McCown may be worth a start if you’re in a deep league, but I wouldn’t bother with either of the RB’s, as neither of them will likely have enough touches to make an impact (although I expect one of them to score)…
Jacksonville at Houston
Like the Bucs, the Jags are playing for nothing, as they have clinched the 5 spot for next week’s playoff matchup, either at PITT or SD. Garrard may play a bit, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he only played the first quarter. And needless to say, you don’t want Quinn Gray on your team… As for the RB’s, Taylor will only get a few carries (if any), and MJD may see some increased playing time, but look for Greg Jones to be a deep sleeper this week, as he has a knack of finding the end zone, and does have 2 career 100 yard rushing games… The receivers are always a crapshoot anyways, so unless you have a hunch that this is the week Matt Jones breaks out, stay away…
The Texans have a chance to finish at .500 for the first time in the history of the team. As I mentioned in my RB column, Ron Dayne has a shot at setting a career high in rushing yards, although he had no carries last week. I’m not quite sure who Kubiak plans on starting this week, but Dayne should be in line for a decent game if he gets 15+ carries… I’d still start Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter, as their values are both boosted this week (I’d put AJ in my top 8 at the minimum)…
Seattle at Atlanta
Again, it’s a game of a team that has nothing to play for (SEA) against a team that is playing for nothing but pride. For SEA, Hass may play no more than 1 quarter, rendering him virtually useless in fantasy (although he is playing ATL…). And if this is the case, I’d rather start Redman than Frye or Wallace, depending on who gets the snaps. Look for Leonard Weaver to have a decent game, as it is highly unlikely that MoMo or Alexander will have more than 10 touches each… I don’t know what to expect at WR, but I would still start Branch and Engram, as well as D.J. Hackett, as they’ll likely get enough snaps to make a difference for your team…
As for the woeful Falcons, Redman may actually be worth using, as he’ll be facing a SEA pass defense that will likely be starting a lot of backups in the 2nd half. In addition, this will finally be the week that Jerrious Norwood has a big game. Roddy White is still safe to play, and Michael Jenkins may even have 60+ yards…
Detroit at Green Bay
Again, the Packers have nothing to play for, as they have locked up the #2 seed for the playoffs. Favre will definitely play some to keep his consecutive game streak going, but I can’t see him finishing the game. Instead, Craig Nall has the benefit of facing a terrible DET pass defense, and should put up 200 yards and a TD. Ryan Grant will probably only play a half at most, but given the opponent, I’d still take a chance on him. Brandon Jackson will likely get the bulk of the carries in the 2nd half… Greg Jennings will probably sit this one out, giving James Jones an opportunity to prove his worth as GB’s #3 WR for next season…
For Detroit, they’re looking to finish off a terrible 2nd half on a 2 game winning streak, and I expect all of their starters from last week (Kitna, Duckett, Megatron, Furrey, McDonald) to play a full game, making all of them fine to start. I’m not that big on Duckett though. Former GB QB J.T. O’Sullivan may end up getting a few snaps against his old team, although I wouldn’t go near him in the deepest of leagues…
Pittsburgh at Baltimore
The Steelers have already clinched the AFC North Division so chances are they will rest some of their key starters, especially players like Ben Roethlisberger (shoulder, ankle). Normally, the difference between the #3 and #4 seed is not a big deal, but this year the #4 spot means facing Jacksonville orNew England in Foxboro in the second round so the Steelers should be motivated on Sunday. can still claim the #3 seed in the AFC with a win and loss by in the first round of the playoffs and
Look for Roethlisberger to play a quarter or half at most with players like Najeh Davenport, Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward playing a little longer. In case you’re in a super deep league or extremely desperate, Gary Russell might be worth a pickup. He split carries with Laurence Maroney in 2004 at the University of Minnesota and led the Steelers in rushing during the pre-season so he has some talent. He’ll backup Davenport and if the game gets ugly, he could see significant work.
For Baltimore, everyone that is healthy should play, but they have several key injuries. Willis McGahee (ribs) has been ruled out so Musa Smith will start and could put up decent numbers because he is a good receiver out of the backfield. Kyle Boller (concussion) probably won’t play so rookie Troy Smith should start again. Smith struggled last week and does not appear to be a good start against Pittsburgh.
Dallas at Washington
The Cowboys have clinched home field advantage throughout the playoffs so most of their starters will be rested on Sunday. Although, coach Wade Phillips has indicated that he is going to do everything in his power to win the game for his team and the integrity of the league. Who knows exactly what that means?
One thing is for sure - Terrell Owens (ankle) definitely won’t play so he can rest and be close to full strength for the post-season. Regardless of Philips’ comments, there have been some rumors that Tony Romo might play a little longer than normal for a meaningless season finale to get some work with Terry Glenn (knee), who is set to make his 2007 debut. It’s hard to imagine Romo playing more than a half under any circumstance, however, so proceed with caution. Expect the same thing for key offensive players like Jason Witten and Marion Barber. The NFL Network reported on Thursday that Barber will hardly play at all so keep an eye on his status right until kickoff for any breaking news.
The Redskins will make the playoffs with a victory so feel free to use any of their players if you normally do. Todd Collins will start again for Jason Campbell (knee) and the Walpole, MA native has played well in the last six quarters. Clinton Portis has had an up-and-down season, but has been hot over the last few games while receivers Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle-El have picked up their production as well.
San Diego at Oakland
The Chargers will be the #3 seed in the AFC with a win, but it’s unclear how important that position is to them. It would mean avoiding Jacksonville in the first round and New England in the second, but chances are most of their key offensive starters will be rested at least for the second half.
Philip Rivers (knee) is banged up so it would be very surprising if he played too much anyway and LaDainian Tomlinson is too valuable to be left on the field for too long. Michael Turner and/or Darren Sproles might not be a bad play for fantasy owners that are thin at RB in Week 17 and do not have many options. Even if the Chargers were not resting starters, Antonio Gates is unusable at this point because of injuries and poor play.
Oakland will play all of their healthy starters and take a look at young players like rookie JaMarcus Russell, who will make the first start of his career. Russell will probably struggle, however, so only start him if you are thin at QB or simply want to roll the dice. Dominic Rhodes was productive last week in a loss at Jacksonville and the Raiders do run the ball well so Rhodes might not be a bad play against a San Diego team that figures to rest some starters.
Tennessee at Indianapolis
The Colts cannot move up or down from the #2 spot in the AFC so they do not have much to play for. Coach Tony Dungy has already said that Manning won’t play more than the first half. In Dungy code that means Manning will play a quarter or less. If you are in dire straits at the QB position, Jim Sorgi could help you a bit because he’ll probably play around three quarters.
Expect Joseph Addai to not even play after he sat out the second half last week with a back injury. Kenton Keith should get an increased workload, but look for third-string Clifton Dawson to see a lot of action as well, especially in the second half.
Marvin Harrison (knee) might be physically ready to play, but it would be a major surprise if the Colts did not continue their trend of caution and sit the veteran wide receiver. Look for Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and Anthony Gonzalez (foot) to see very limited action.
The Titans need a win to make the playoffs and if they lose, they’re automatically out of contention. Vince Young has been shaky most of the year, but he’ll be going against a second-string Colts defense for most of the game. LenDale White and Chris Brown to a lesser degree should have big games in a must-win situation. Kickers are extremely difficult to predict, but Rob Bironas has had another great season and could get multiple field goal opportunities.
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